Hazard Plotting of Left Truncated Life Data

Abstract

Some life data contain groups of units that were not observed before some age. Then the number and ages of earlier failures are not known. Such data are called truncated (on the left). This paper shows how to make a hazard plot of such data to estimate the life distribution. The method is illustrated with life data on compressors in heat pumps.

• Censored Life Data
• Graphical Methods
• Hazard Plotting
• Truncated Data

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Wayne Nelson

Dr. Nelson is a private consultant and is also associated with General Electric Company Corporate Research and Development. He is a Fellow of ASQC. This paper is Copyright © 1989 by Wayne Nelson.